Sight Without Seeing
by Jesusfreak9692
Summary: Ed and Al meet Roy's blind younger sister. After he orders the Elric brothers to take her with them, what'll happen? Guess we'll find out.  EdxOC
1. Housemaid

Okie dokie, so my first fanfic. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ONLY!

I don't own FMA, sadly. I do own Azmaria Mustang though.

(Thoughts)

*Action*

~POV Switch/Passage of Time~

Sight Without Seeing

Chapter 1

~Ed's POV~

"YOU WANT US TO STAY WHERE?"

"My apartment. They're releasing you in thirty minutes and all the hotels are either full or destroyed from Isaac." Mustang said calmly. "Maybe if you'd stopped him sooner, you wouldn't have to stay at my place, pipsqueak."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING AN ANT BETWEEN YOUR TOES?" I shouted. (That damn Colonel Bastard. Why's he always gotta be picking on me?)

"You have your stuff, right? Then I won't have to wait. They're going to check you over one more time." He stood up, smirking at my rant.

"Fine. Whatever." I said crossing my arms. "At least I won't have to be dealing with hospital food."

"Oh please, as if I'd feed you." Mustang said as he walked out the door.

"Thank you, Colonel." Al said from his spot on the floor. "We appreciate it."

"At least someone appreciates my hospitality." The Colonel said smirking at me. "We're having stew tonight, so don't eat anything. You'll upset my cook if you don't eat." He closed the door and his footsteps echoed down the hall as he walked away.

"You could be a little nicer. I know you didn't want to sleep outside tonight and your stomach has been growling for an hour." Al said to me, I could see him scowling in the armor.

"He's a jerk. Why should I?" I scowled back as I looked out the window. "I wonder if the stew will have milk in it, it always tastes better that way."

~Almeria's POV~

I heard the door open as I stirred the stew. "Ah, Roy. You're home. I still don't understand why you wanted me to make so much. It's just you, Riza, and I, right?"

"Actually, the Eric brothers are staying. Ed just got released from the hospital and their train doesn't leave for two days. I told them they could stay here." Roy said as he walked in the door, several pairs of footsteps followed.

"Ah, the one in armor and the one with auto mail, right? Okay, good thing I cleaned the bedrooms earlier. There are clean sheets on the beds, so you should be comfortable." I said turning towards the group and walking towards the door. "I'm Azmaria, Roy's younger sister. It's nice to meet you two." I held my hand out.

~Ed's POV~

"Umm, you too." I said. She'd stopped several paces away from me and held out her hand. (The heck?) She was a small, skinny girl with long black hair tied in a messy ponytail her bangs hung out the sides loosely. She had astonishing blue eyes that stared blankly forward in my direction.

"Well, isn't it polite to shake someone's hand when you first meet? It's rude to leave me hanging." She said with an eyebrow raised.

Roy pushed me forward roughly. "Don't be rude, you idiot."

I caught myself and shook her hand. As she stared forward, I noticed something. "Umm, any particular reason you're staring at my chest."

"Azmaria is blind, Edward. She can't see you." Riza cut in politely.

"Roy, it's embarrassing having to explain it to everyone I meet. God, Roy, I know you get a kick out of laughing at everyone's reactions, but seriously?" Azmaria said scowling in the direction of Roy's voice. I noticed the clear film flash over her eyes.

She put a hand on my head. "Roy, you said he was short, but come on, he's an inch taller than me and we're the same age. Ah well, there's milk in the stew, maybe it'll make us both taller." She smiled at me, this time at my face.

"Hi, I'm Alphonse. You can call me Al." He lightly touched her hand which was still holding my auto mail arm.

~Almeria's POV~

I felt metal against my hand. "Hi, I'm Alphonse. You can call me Al."

As I shook his hand, I noticed he was being extremely gentle. "Awl, come on. I'm not that weak, I can hold my own. Ask Roy about how I kicked his ass the other day using his own Alchemy." I grinned upward.

"Hey, hey! Just because I taught you how to use Flame Alchemy doesn't mean you can set things on fire and throw them at me!" He shook his hands wildly.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Quit bringing home people without warning me, then. Maybe I'll relax." I said. "The other day, you brought home all your subordinates for dinner and poor Fiery had to help me make more sandwiches because you didn't tell me!"

"Sure, sure. Riza, that's your job now. I don't want to." Roy patted Riza on the back and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, sir." She said, obviously annoyed.

"Alright, well the stew's ready. So help yourselves." She said pointing behind her. She walked over and grabbed the ladle she'd been using and poured herself a bowl. "I'm not a maid, guys! Get it yourself!"

"Oh, Azmaria. It'd probably be best to show them now before they break something out of shock." Mustang said as he poured himself some as I walked to the table.

"Show us what?" Ed said walking to get himself some food.

~Ed's POV~

"Well, it's hard to explain, so it's better just to show you." She said, finding a chair and sitting down. I noticed the simple arrangement of all the furniture; she'd probably memorized the layout. "Come sit with me."

I walked over to join her after I got my stew. There were all kinds of vegetables in it as well as chicken and beef.

"Ah, another masterpiece, Az. You're almost as good as Gracia." Roy said smiling.

(So apparently that Colonel can do something other than smirk.)

I sat down next to as Al joined me on my other side. Roy sat across from Azmaria and Riza sat next to Roy. "Alright so what do you want to show me?"

"Give me your hand." She held out her own. "The flesh one."

(The hell?) I gave her my hand and our fingers intertwined on the table like lovers. She smiled lightly, "So you two are from Risembool, Roy tells me? What's it like?"

(Does Roy tell her everything? Did he tell her about our transmutation? About how we're looking for the Philosopher's Stone?)

"Umm, Ed…" Azmaria said. "You're making this hard."

"God, Ed. Think about Risembool." Mustang said. His fingers tapped impatiently on the table.

I thought about Risembool, the beautiful grassy plains. My mind wandered to Winry and her house and she, Al, and I growing up together. How we used to lay and look at the stars together. Then I wandered to my mom. She used to make stew just like this. Al and I had wanted her cooking again, to see her smiling face. That thing we brought back definitely couldn't have made it.

Azmaria ripped her hand from mind and I was brought back to the Mustangs' kitchen. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-! I-!" She held her hand close to her chest and stared at me with fearful eyes. "I… I didn't mean to pry. Forgive me…." Tears fell from her cheeks as she grabbed her bowl and walked off. I heard a door slam a few seconds later.

"What the hell?" I said. "First she wants to hold my hand, then she's screaming at me."

Roy stood up and followed Azmaria silently. He left his own food behind.

A few seconds later, Riza looked to Al and I. "Their parents died several years ago. Azmaria was born mostly blind. Her parents didn't like the pity they got for having a blind child. So while Roy was off learning Alchemy, her parents decided to try human transmutation to make her see."

Silence filled the room.

Al spoke up first. "So what happened?"

"Well, her mother lost all her limbs and died from blood loss. Her father lost his sanity and killed himself shortly afterward. And Azmaria, who was sitting in the middle of the circle, lost the rest of her sight. But she gained the ability to see people's memories with touch. Also, she can see from your perspective if you let her, but only as long as you and she are touching. She didn't read your thoughts, Ed. But I'm sure she saw all of the things you were thinking about."

"You were thinking about mom, weren't you?" Al said. "She probably saw the transmutation."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to see those memories, Edward. Roy only briefly told her about the two of you. Just that you had tried it and that you lost limbs and Al was now in an empty suit of armor."

"Why didn't she tell me?" I banged my hand on the table. "At least I could have prepared myself!"

Roy walked back in the room holding Azmaria's hand. He didn't say a word. He only glared at me.

"I'm…. really sorry."Azmaria said staring at the floor. "Roy told me Risembool was really pretty but he only got to see it that one night he met you. I wanted to see it. I can't see it myself, so I was curious."

"It's…. It's alright." I said, my hand still in a fist. "I understand."

"I suppose you guys would like to go to bed now, right?" The tiny girl said. I can show you to your room if you'd like. "There's a bed for you, Al, if you'd like." She held out her hand to me.

"I'll do the dishes." Roy said. "Riza, wanna help or do you need to go home?"

"Umm, of course, sir." She stood up and gathered the bowls together. "Did you want to finish yours?" She gestured to Mustang's bowl.

"I'll eat it later."

~Azmaria's POV~

I felt metal against my hand. "Okay, so where are we sleeping?" It was Al. I was a little disappointed. I had wanted to see where I was going, but I led them anyways.

My other hand was against the wall as I led them. It should be the first door on the left.

"Ah, this one then." I said as my fingers traced over the indents just above the doorknob. (Guest Room. Yes, that's it.) I opened the door and led them inside. "I just changed the sheets this morning, so the room should be clean. Umm, the bathroom is the second on the left and my door is across the hall."

"What's with the dots above the door?" Ed asked from the doorway.

"Oh, it's called Braille. Each sequence of dots symbolizes a letter. Roy transmuted the doors and all the books here so I can read them. And everything in the kitchen has it too, so I can cook without screwing up."

"That's…. strangely nice of him." Ed muttered.

"Alrighty. I'll leave you two then." I started walking toward the door until I bumped into Ed. "Oops, sorry. Forgot you were there." I dusted myself off as I heard Ed move to the hallway to let me though.

"Goodnight, Edward. Alphonse."I opened my door and walked in already attempting to strip my shirt off as I closed the door with my foot.

~Al's POV~

"She's cute, isn't she?" I said. My brother stared after her even though the door was already closed.

"Shut up, Al." Ed said crawling into bed as he stripped to his boxers.

It wasn't long before I heard my brother snoring. I laid down in the other bed and began my normal routine of staring at the ceiling as I waited for morning.


	2. Midnight Tea

Sorry about the delay, guys, I've been doing college stuff. And then for Christmas, my fiance got to come home from the military! So for any of you who know military families or are one, you get it.

Also, I'm pretty sure that some od the time frames are different from the show, but bear with me.

Sight Without Seeing

Chapter 2

(Flashback)

~Azmaria's POV~

"Momma, what are we doing?" I could just barely make her out. She was holding my hand as we descended the stairs to the basement.

"Daddy and I have a surprise for you." She said smiling as we descended slowly.

"Did Roy come home from the war?" I said jumping and almost falling down the stairs.

"No, honey, he hasn't. We got the letter than he's ok this morning, remember?" She said sadly.

A few seconds later, she sat me down on the floor in the basemet, "Now, I need you to stay right there and don't move."

"Do I have to close my eyes?" I said. (Yay! A present! I wonder what it could be!)

I heard some muttering as a few things were moved around. The basement looked the same as always, the same, brown, dull color. The air smelled dusty as always. Why on Earth would they hide a present in here?

"Ready honey?" I heard Dad say. My mother nodded and I saw a rush as their hands smacked the floor. Then everything went black.

When I came to, I could hear my mother screaming. "Daddy? Mommy? What's wrong? What happened?"

I felt a liquid touching my leg. "….Mommy? Daddy?" I crawled towards where they'd been. "What happened? I can't see anything at all now."

I felt my mothers limbs. Or what was left of them. I could feel the bones and veins as she muttered my name with her last breaths, "Az…maria…. Can you see me? Can you see your mother?" She went cold.

(End Flashback)

~Roy's POV~

A scream broke through the night and I rushed out of my bedroom before my eyes had even opened and stormed down the hall. "Azmaria!"

When I opened the door, she was curled in on herself under the blankets. Ed and Al came in after me. I pulled back the blankets and lightly shook her, "Azmaria. It's just a nightmare. Wake up."

For a second, her blue eyes met my own and I smiled. Too bad she couldn't see me as the film gleamed in the moonlight.

~Ed's POV~

"The hell happened?" I muttered.

I saw the colonel wrap his arms around the tiny figure as she cried into his shirt. No doubt, he wouldn't be sleeping with that one later.

He muttered soothingly as she cried. My brother left the room, no doubt to make a pot of tea like he always did when I woke up from one of my nightmares. I sat at the foot of the bed and stared at the pair.

Roy looked at me and sighed, "She had a dream about when she lost the rest of her sight. Poor girl." He ran his fingers though her raven-colored hair. "I didn't even know till I came back from the war. I walked in, dad had just…. Beaten her. He lost his mind after the transmutation. He blamed it on her. She was curled up in the corner of the kitchen crying. When we went to pack her things, I found out why he hadn't come to stop me…. He had been planning on using a knife to hurt her, but he slipt and fell on it himself. I've taken care of her ever since."

I stared at the cowering form he was holding. So much had happened to her. Other than Al, she was the only known survivor who'd been then center of human transmutation.

She had stopped crying and was now simply resting on Roy staring at the floor.

A soft knock at the door woke everyone from their thoughts. "I made some tea," Al said. "Would anyone like some?"

Azmaria nodded, "Sounds good. She wiped her face with the edge of her shirt and stood up, holding Roy's hand lightly. She gave me a nice fake smile, "Come on, let's go."

We all piled down to the living room for some tea before heading off to sleep. The rest of the night was only disturbed by the occasional sniffing of Azmaria and the rising of the sun.


	3. Blind Disciples

Sight Without Seeing

Chapter 3

(Azmaria's POV)

*CRASH!*

"Aww, come on, Al. You can't go around breaking everyone's stuff." I said sarcasticly. (Thank God, I was getting sick of that Letto stuff.)

Edward took one look at my face and snickered loudly. "Yeah, Al."

"Aww man!" The man said. "That was my new radio!"

"We'll fix it, we'll fix it." Ed said waving his hand like it was no big deal. Which it wasn't. "Geez," he muttered. "First our train gets delayed, then we get to bring along the blind kid, get mistaken for street performers, and now we break a radio. Can this day get any worse?"

I smacked him upside the head. "Hey! It's not like I asked to come with you guys!" I folded my arms across my chest.

{Flashback: _Yesterday…._}

"We're doing WHAT?" Ed screamed. "You expect us to lug your BLIND sister around the country on our missions? Are you CRAZY?"

I singed the corner of his jacket. "I'm not happy about this either." I said with my backpack over my shoulder as I walked into the living room. "I'd much rather stay here."

Roy stood up, "You need to get out of the house. You're never going to learn to be independent and get over this handicap of yours if you're just cleaning house and cooking all day. You have to get out and learn some stuff on your own. I won't always be around."

"Uh. Being blind is a pretty big handicap. You can't exactly get over that. And Ed's not exactly going to be able to hold my hand the whole time. There are going to be battles and we'll likely get separated at some point or another for some reason. How do you expect me to fight? You taught me the basics and how to use flame alchemy but I can't exactly block someone's moves very easily. And I don't exactly have a map to everything in my head. I can't find my way around unless someone is near me. And if I get captured? What am I supposed to do?" I ranted. (Did he even think this though?)

"That's why Ed's the perfect teacher. He can show you how to fight. And Ed *grabs the collar of Ed's shirt* won't *pulls him to his face* lose you. Will he?" Roy glared into Ed's eyes threateningly.

"Yeah, yeah. Teach blind kid to fight and navigation. Got it. Now let me go." Ed glared right back. There was no refusing the order of a superior officer but he could fight all the way as much as he wanted.

"Good." Roy set him down.

Al sighed. He knew there was nothing his brother could do, but this didn't seem like a good idea. "She doesn't exactly look like she's equipped for fighting and traveling." What was the colonel's ultimate goal having Azmaria join them?

"She'll be fine." Roy said with a tone of finality. There was not much more to be said.

{End Flashback}

Once Al had fixed the radio with alchemy, we became surrounded by people. I felt them pushing and shoving and images were flashing from every direction. "Ed? Al? Where are you?" I grabbed the counter and held on for dear life.

Suddenly, there was silence as Al told them who the real "Fullmetal Alchemist" was. (Oh, dear.) Once Edward had finished his explosion, we got some more intel on the "Miracles of Liore".

Apparently, High Priest Cornello had shown up a few years ago with his miracles and prophesies about Letto. The city had prospered ever since. (Sounds fishy.)

An hour later, we found ourselves observing his little "miracle session". Edward stood on his suitcase and after much arguing, held my hand so I could watch from below while Ed and Al observed from a higher standpoint.

"Judging from the transmutation response, its definitely alchemy." Al said.

"Yeah, but the equations are all wrong. How on Earth do you go from a two inch flower petal to a huge, metal floral decoration?" I said. "Something's not right."

"You're right. He's totally ignoring the laws of Equivalent Exchange. It's a rule that you can only produce something from matter of equal value." Ed said.

Al joined in, "He changed a flower into a mineral, too. Yeah… It could be."

I rolled my eyes, "Nerds."

Ed set his eyes on Cornello's red ring. I muttered, "Wait… You don't think…" "Bingo," Ed said. (Yup. That's what he thinks it is. Good thing Roy's filled me in on the Elrics or else I'd be clueless.)

(Later….)

The bells rung rhythmically as I sat in the second row pew as the Elric Brothers approached a girl praying at the altar in the front of the church.

"So this is Letto." Ed said as he continued up to the front, disturbing the girl.

"Are you interested in the religion of Letto?" The girl asked kindly.

"Nah, I'm an atheist." Ed shrugged.

"That's not good," The girl with the pink bangs said. "Believing and honoring God, and living in gratitude and hope…. How glorious."

"I'm going to have to agree with him on this one." I propped my feet up on the seat. "I haven't seen much evidence of God in my life."

"I'm sure if you believe, you'll grow taller!" She blurted.

I burst out laughing. "Ed, bow before Letto! He's going to give you height without milk!"

Al held Ed back before he charged at the two of us. Ed growled, "Why you…."

Ed gave up and sat in the front row pew. "So you believe in resurrection of the dead?"

"Yes," the girl said. Ed began listing a bunch of elements and their amounts. To make a human.

"We know all this from our advances in science, but there haven't been any reports of successful human transmutations," Ed said as he closed his book. "You really think that praying would solve something that even science couldn't solve?"

I flinched. "Ouch, blunt. Isn't he?" I muttered to Al. He only nodded.

Rose replied with, "Pray and believe, and your wishes shall be."

I stood up and clasped my hands together. "Letto, please let me see….. Nothing. Darn." I shrugged and sat back down.

Rose glared at the three of us.

"And by the way…. You can buy these basic ingredients at the market with a kid's pocket money. So, you could say that humans can be made pretty cheaply." Edward continued.

"People are not possessions. Those words are blasphemy to our creator." Rose shot back. "You'll suffer divine punishment for that."

Ed smirked, "Alchemists are scientists, after all. We don' believe in God. We only look for the truth. It's pretty ironic that we're the closest things to God in a sense, even though we have no need for him."

"Are you saying you're on the same level as God? How arrogant!"

"Arrogant, huh? I remember this from a mythical tale. The hero who gets too close to the sun shall have his wax wings plucked and be dropped to the earth."

I muttered so only Ed could hear me. "And Ed's the hero of the story….." (This is quite entertaining, but this could end badly if he keeps going. The whole town follows this religion. If we want to be able to sleep anywhere tonight, he might try not pissing her off.)

"Brother." Al said.

"Lady, will Mr. Letto save a scientist like me? Even though I was thinking something like that?" Ed jumped from his seat and I slowly stood.

"Oh, he accepts reformers any time." The pink girl beamed.

Suddenly, we found ourselves outside Cornello's door.

Edward held my hand as we strolled though the doorway to a large room. After a haughty comment from the man who guided us, he shut the door.

"Huh?" I said. "That was rather harsh."

"This way please, the High Priest is a very busy man. He usually cannot find time for such matters, but you folks are lucky." The man who was guiding us said as he ignored my comment.

(This is fishy….) I squeezed my grip on Ed slightly. He squeezed back. It was no more than a comforting gesture. It barely worked.

"Sorry for the trouble, we'll try to make it quick." Ed said with a big grin.

A light movement as the man reached into a coat pocket and the air suddenly tensed. "Yeah, let's get this over with quickly." Suddenly, Al's head was being aimed at with a small pistol.

"Hey, what's going on?" Rose froze in shock.

"Rose, these people are heathens who are trying to ensnare the High Priest. They are evil." He said calmly.

"No, that's not…."

"Come on, let's get this over with!" Ed threw the guy that had grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder.

The leader's face got punched by Al and he appeared out for the count. The pistol tumbled noisily to Rose's feet but went unnoticed as Ed hit the last guy with his own spear. Which had I been watching, probably would have been quite entertaining.

"So noisy!" Cornello entered the room with a smirk on his face. "Welcome to the holy order, Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Sir Cornello!"

"Some of us were a little hasty, I apologize for their rudeness." Cornello ignored Rose.

"Yeah, a simple 'sorry' will fix having a gun held to our heads!" I shouted.

"It hardly feels like an apology when you're looking down on us from such a high place." Edward ignored me.

"Are you here for our dogma?"

"I've heard a lot of things from you I want to learn. Say, a method for tricking your followers with petty alchemy."

"I've no idea what you are talking about. I perform miracles, not your science. God is above science." He scoffed as he produced a statue of letter after a red glow.

(Ed's POV)

"See, this is precisely what I'm concerned about. You're able to perform transmutations while clearly ignoring the rules for some strange reason." I scratched my head. (Maybe I can get him to tell me unintentionally. He doesn't look that smart. Just a big ego.)

"Which is why it isn't Alchemy-"

"Which is why I was thinking…. If you had the legendary amplifier that allows alchemists to perform the impossible, it would be possible in your case. Yes… The Philosopher's Stone. Isn't that what your ring is made of?" (Couldn't get him to tell me, ah well. It's all in the open now.) "Its been a long search."

"This is just an ordinary ring." Cornello smirked. (When is he going to quit the act?) "God has allowed me to perform miracles."

"Still going to play that game?" I started walking towards him. (Gonna have to beat it out of him I guess.) "Guess I'll have to get my hands on you and make you tell me the truth."

"You seem to be an incorrigible heathen." He frowned. "Rose."

"Yes?" Rose stuttered.

"Pick up that pistol. Yes, now shoot the Fullmetal Alchemist. My words are God's words."

"But I can't do that…."

"Yes you can. Rose, shoot him. Who was the one who saved you from despair after your love died in an accident last year? That's right, it was me. I can't revive him unless you do as God says. Now shoot him!"

Rose aimed at Al.

"Wait! It's not me-!" Al jumped.

"That's right! I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist, got it?"

"Idiot," Azmaria muttered to me. "If she doesn't miss, you die. Al's an empty shell, stupid. It won't matter."

"Wait, _you're _the one?" Cornello said in shock.

"Sorry, I have to." Rose said pointing to me. (Aww, shoot. She's right. Shoulda let Al get shot instead. Sorry bro, but I gotta keep my head.)

"He's a swindler. A conman." I said. I saw Azmaria slowly moving towards Rose. She couldn't see her, but hearing her was probably helping. I got the idea instantly. (Gotta keep her talking.)

"He's going to revive him with his miracles!" Rose said.

"Then shoot me." I said. (Come on, Az. Get her. You're almost there.)

Rose raised the gun at me, her arms shaking. (How's she gonna aim like that? She's not a killer. If she's not careful, someone's REALLY going to get hurt.)

Suddenly, a loud BANG brought me out of my thoughts as Azmaria shoved Rose as hard as she could. All in one second, Rose hit the ground and Al's head flew off. Azmaria barely caught herself on her hands and knees so she didn't faceplant into the stone. The gun tumbled close to Azmaria and Al fell to the gound.

"Al!" I yelled. Rose screamed and I could barely make out Cornello's congratulations and told her to shoot the two of us as well.

Al sat up, "Man, you make your followers do terrible things."

"What?" Cornello froze.

"As you can see," Ed tapped on Al's body as he stood. "He's empy," Azmaria finished as she stood as well, facing the group.

"See, this is evidence of their evil!" Cornello said. "They must be eliminated!" He backed up and pulled a switch. All of a sudden, a lion/snake chimera stepped angrily into the room. "Is this your first time seeing a chimera?"

(Azmaria's POV)

I grabbed Rose's hand and started backing up. (A chimera? Scary! Kinda cool, but I'm NOT getting eaten!) Ed and the chimera started fighting. Ed's metal limbs gleamed in the light as one by one they revealed themselves.

Cornello seemed to understand what had happened. "You two committed the alchemist's taboo! Human transmutation!" He revealed the boys' sin to Rose. "They tried to revive the dead. He lost his body and Fullmetal lost his limbs."

A lightbulb seemed to hover over Rose's head as she understood all Ed had said. "No way…."

"This is the body of a sinner who encroached on God's territory." Ed said sadly. "Rose, are you prepared to be like this?"

I could no longer see anything, Rose had covered her mouth in shock. (We need to get out of here.)

After a brief insults and demands exchange, Cornello opened fire on us with a machine gun. Al grabbed us and pulled us behind the stone wall Ed formed in a split second. Rose was scooped up in Al's arms and Ed pulled me along as he created a door for us to escape from.

My arm felt like it was going to pop out of its socket. "Hey! A little warning would be great!" I yelled as my feet barely touched the ground, we were running down corridors so fast.

After barreling through a bunch of guys, (pretty sure I stepped on a few faces.) we made it outside and to the top of a bell tower.

I stretched out on the tower as Al explained to Rose that Cornello was a fake. What kind of High Priest would shoot at one of his own followers?

"So the story was true?" Rose said.

"We just wanted to see Mom's smiling face again… But the transmutation failed. It didn't even look human. We learned our mistake. No one can be revived."

"So why's she following you around?"

I shrugged. "I got kicked out by my brother."

Al continued. "She's blind and her brother wanted her to not be cooped up in his apartment her whole life. So as per the colonel's orders, she's traveling with us."

I yawned, "You make it sound like I'm just baggage. I DID save your older brother's life back there. YOU tried to shoot him! Come on, don't shoot my eyes!"

"Huh?"

"She is the product of human transmutation. Her parents tried to give her sight back, but instead she got the ability to see through other people's eyes instead. Through touch."

"Cool."

"Yeah, if you like that sort of thing. In order to see where I'm going and NOT walk into a wall, I've been holding Ed's hand practically non-stop. It's really annoying." I put my hands behind m head. "I'd be getting my REAL sight if I had the stone. Having to depend on other people, never being allowed to be on your own for more than a few hours and only in certain locations…. I hate it."

"Brother wants to get my body back, too. And I want to get his back. So, we're all looking for the stone." Al continued. He obviously could tell I was uncomfortable. "Anyways, time to start." Al raised our new speaker and aimed it towards the city.

Ed and Cornello's voices blasted through the speaker and revealed all. We heard some blasts and then silence from the speaker and decided it was time to turn it back to a bell.

(Later….)

Words whispered across the air as we boarded the train and the trees began to fly by.

"_Get up and take a step forward. You've got a fine pair of legs on you. You don't need to cling to anything…." –Edward Elric_


	4. Playgrounds and Front Yards

Okay, so I've gotten a bunch of positive reviews that they like my story so far, but I'd love for some specifics. Just a request. If I know more about what makes my stories good, I'll try to amplify that. :D Enjoy.

By the way, I might stop putting things in people's POV's. It makes it hard on my brain to follow. I'll still include people's thoughts. Let me know what you guys think of that.

Sight Without Seeing

Chapter IV

The full moon shone brightly in the night. It was 01:30 according to the bell tower not far from where the man walked. He was returning to his home after eating some wonderful food at his favorite restaurant, as was customary on a Friday night.

"You're Basque Gran, the "Iron Blood Alchemist", aren't you?" A voice cut through the peaceful sound of the light breeze.

"Who are you?" The soldier stopped.

The mysterious man ignored him, "Alchemists who go against God's path shall perish." The man assumed a deceptive battle stance.

Gran glared, "So you're the killer who only goes after State Alchemists. But you picked the wrong opponent." Assuming a battle stance as well, he prepared himself.

After a deep breath, Gran slammed his fist into the ground causing blue lightning to arc wildly around him. A series of cannons burst from the ground and fired upon the scarred man. However, his cannons were too slow and the man charged forward dodging each one.

"You're fast, but…" He ceased firing his guns and switched to a different method of taking down his target. Chains burst from the ground and as soon as they had engulfed the man, a metal box encased his target. "How foolish." He approached his handiwork casually. His prey was now caught. Or so he thought.

A flash of blue before smoke flooded Gran's vision and he found a fist blocking his vision. He had been caught. The man muttered, "Perish." Before blood burst from every aperture on Gran's body and he hit the ground, defeated.

The man crawled out of the box and continued down his path as though nothing had just occurred. His clothes were stained by no blood or soil. No one that passed him on his way suspected that his hands were invisibly stained.

(Azmaria's POV)

As we entered my brother's office, I heard numerous pens scratching away. (He must have forgotten to sign papers again. Forgotten. HA!) A low hum sounded before Fuery greeted the three of us. I'd missed his little nerdy voice.

Hawkeye patted my head and ruffled my hair, "Hey, guys. You look well. The Colonel has been waiting for you."

I heard a groan from Ed and grinned. "It's good to be home."

I walked toward the door to Roy's office and opened it after a soft knock. I knew my way because Roy had specifically placed the furniture so I could get to his office without bumping into the collective desks of his "chess pieces."

I was immediately greeted by a bear hug from Roy, "Oh it's been awful! Sandwiches every day! No one to clean! My laundry never done! I've missed you!"

"Nice…. It's good to be appreciated." I rolled my eyes as I heard Ed and Al approach.

"You wanted to see us?" Said Alphonse.

"Yes, come in you three." Roy said, putting me down and walking to his desk.

~(Roy's POV)~

"I'd like to express my gratitude. The matter in Lior is settled all thanks to you." I said putting my chin into my hands. I studied the three closely. (I wonder how it all went. I'll ask Az later. It's good to see she survived.)

"It wasn't for you or anything." Ed said in a bored voice. (Always so happy to see me…)

"And the Philosopher's Stone? Another failure?" I bore my eyes to his. Ed's eyes, as much as he tried not to, showed his emotions very well. He was easy to read, most of the time.

"A fake, yeah." Ed said disappointedly.

Az stretched her arms across the couch she was sitting on. Ed and Al on the other. "But even though it was a fake, it still did some pretty amazing stuff. He used it to make a chimera! Lion and a reptile. Looked like alligator."

"I wonder how you could use the stone to make something like that?" Al said, chiming in. "I'm not really familiar with the field of Biological Alchemy, so I wouldn't know, but…."

"Yeah, I'm a little curious." Ed pondered. "If we put our effort into researching it, we may find something useful in getting our bodies back.

(That's an idea. Shou Tucker would be an excellent person for them to meet. And I'm sure Nina and Azmaria would get along well. I owe Ed anyways. I can use them to keep an eye on Tucker, it's his last chance to keep his license. He might try something drastic.)

"The Sewing-Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker. You should meet him. He's the authority on biological Alchemy. I hate owing you, so I'll take you to meet him." I said pulling his file from my desk.

"It's a trap! There's definitely more than meets the eye!" Ed pointed at me. (True, but…)

"I hate having to owe you; we'll be even after this for Liore." I put my hands on my desk.

"You might want to teach Ed Braille then, Roy. If I'm going to help him on research." Azmaria pointed to where Ed was.

I pulled a chart from my desk and handed it to Ed. "She's got a point. All you have to do is convert each letter and stack the ink during your transmutation so that it makes an imprint in the paper. Once you become familiar with it, you'll both be able to read it since the ink will still show up. All the books at my place are like that already. It's not too hard. Even someone of your stature should be able to do it."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL AN ANT WOULD STEP ON HIM?" Ed burst.

Azmaria shoved her fingers in her ears so hard I was surprised the tips didn't touch. "Can you BE any LOUDER?" She stomped to my desk, ripped open a drawer on my desk and grabbed my bottle of pain pills. She swallowed two before stuffing it in her pocket. "You better be nice or I'm dumping a gallon of milk down your throat while you sleep."

I sighed and called for one of the military drivers to bring a car around. (Getting along well already.)

~Ed's POV)~

The car we were riding in sped along noisily on the way to Tucker's home. Al and I were shoved on one side while Roy and Azmaria were on the other. She looked quite bored as she "stared" out the window.

"Tucker became a State Alchemist two years ago after transmuting a chimera that understood human language." Roy read from Tucker's profile.

"Understood human language?" I repeated. (That's amazing!) "It could speak? The chimera?"

"Yes, only one sentence. 'I want to die.' Not long after, it stopped eating and died." Roy said.

"What a downer." Azmaria said looking at the three of us. (Moody, isn't she? She was fine earlier. Now she's all depressed. Women.)

The car rolled to a stop and we all climbed out. Roy held out a hand for Azmaria and kept it as we approached the house. It was quite pretty. Maybe after we got our body's back we could have one like this….. Nah. Traveling was too fun.

Suddenly, my vision was blocked by white fluff and a huge weight dropped me to kiss the cement. I heard Al call me, but the sound was blocked by the huge dog that sat on me.

"Wow, we've got a lot of visitors!" I heard as the door opened. A little girl with a long, brown braid and pretty blue eyes stood in front of a man I recognized as Shou Tucker.

"Nina, we have to keep the dog tied down." Tucker reminded the girl.

After introductions, we were led into the house. It was a huge mess. There were books everywhere and the dished looked, and smelled, like no one had done them in forever.

"I'm terribly sorry. I've been really busy lately with my research and haven't been able to clean up much around here. This house has been this way since my wife left." Tucker apologized as he served us some tea.

I saw Azmaria tentatively find it with her fingers, trying to hide her disability. She was no longer holding anyone's hand, but I had taken off one glove and set my hand near hers in case she needed it. I could tell she was trying to be independent, especially in front of Roy, but the guesswork was proving difficult.

In Liore, she had met a girl who used vibrations to sense where things were around her. By a simple step, she had been able to tell where things were. It wasn't very strong, but it had helped the girl to not have a parent home all the time. Azmaria had been trying it out the past few days but had a slow success. She had slowly found the teacup, but had also nearly tripped up the steps.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Edward." Tucker said sitting down.

"We're here because Edward is interested in the transmutation of living organisms. He said he would love to have to honor of seeing your work." Roy said politely. Right to business, as always.

"Sure, that's fine with me. However…. If you want me to show you my hand, I would like to see yours." Tucker proposed. "Equivalent Exchange, after all. Why are you interested in the transmutation of living organisms, exactly?"

I told my story to Tucker. It's always a little embarrassing, but in order for us to see the research, it was necessary. Although Tucker thought it'd be useless, he offered his research to our aid.

"It's rather embarrassing, people call me the authority on chimeras, but in reality, it's not going very well." Tucker said as we inspected the lab.

I occasionally tapped my hand against Azmaria's so she could tell where she was. Roy noticed this and nodded his approval. As she "inspected", we both traded off tapping her hands. We didn't know whether or not it was alright for Tucker to know about Azmaria's blindness yet. Some people would take advantage of it. I may have told him my story, but I could defend myself. Azmaria was still working on that.

For her fighting, we had been working on her blocking. The way the air split around a strike was a sound she was already used to. Her exceptional hearing almost made of for her sight. Almost.

We had now traveled to the library. It was amazing! As Tucker gave permission, I dove into the first shelf I reached. I hardly noticed that Azmaria was still standing in the doorway looking like an oddball.

"I'll be returning to work now." Roy ruffled Azmaria's hair and lingered a little longer so she could eye the place quickly. "Behave, you three. I'll send someone to pick you up this evening, alright?"

"Okay, we will." Azmaria grinned before walking over to my shoulder and trying to look like she was reading. I heard the door close and Azmaria dropped to the ground against a bookshelf. "You gonna give me something to read?" She looked expectantly at me.

"Oh, sorry." I quickly transmuted a few books on a shelf the way Roy had told me and Azmaria stared at a wall as she opened a book and began reading. "Thanks, Ed." Her fingers danced across the page as she began reading the strange language.

An hour or so later, I was brought out of my thoughts by laughter. Upon inspection, I saw Al and the little girl from earlier; whom we figured out was named Nina.

"Al, what the heck are you doing?" I yelled. (We're supposed to be working!)

"But she looked like she wanted someone to play with her." Al stopped and looked at me.

"What do you think we're here for-?" A large white shadow flew over my head before I was crushed.

~(Azmaria's POV)~

I heard a loud thud and peeked around the bookcase. "The hell?"

"Alexander wants to play, too, he says." Nina's voice said.

Ed declared loudly and, rather obnoxiously, that he would play with the dog. "You've got guts, dog. It is said that even when hunting rabbits, lions put forth their best effort. I, Edward Elric, shall deal with you with all of my physical and spiritual might!" He ran off after the dog and around the library.

"Oh, brother." I rolled my eyes. "Does he have an off button?"

We soon found ourselves outside and the sun warmed my skin. Al politely led me to a tree and I stretched out under it.

"Are you sure you don't want to play, Azmaria?" Al said with Nina still hung around his shoulders.

"It's fine, Al. Go have fun." I closed my eyes and pretended to take a nap. (Not like I can play anyways, dumbass.)

I listened to the other four playing around the yard and remembered my days when I went to public school.

_(Flashback)_

"Mrs. Perez, can I go play too? It's such a pretty day outside." I looked out the window. The sun was warming my skin just standing by the window. (I wonder how warm it is outside. It must be beautiful out there. Everyone's laughing so loud.)

"No, Azmaria, you have to stay inside. You can't see and I don't want you to get hurt out there." She said with fake concern. "Besides, who will you play with and what will you do?"

"It won't matter." I grinned. "We'll be together. That's what friends do, right?"

"Normal kids, Miss Mustang. You can't play with them. Now please sit down at your desk and wait for everyone else to come back." She said coldly and I knew there was no arguing with her.

(Normal kids can't play with me….)

_(End Flashback)_

I felt tears coming and rubbed my eyes. (I've got to get out of here before I start crying in front of them. They are NOT going to see me cry.) I stood up and walked towards the house.

I felt someone lightly grap my wrist. "Where are you going?" It was Ed.

"The restroom. Let go." I said coldly. If I could tell where he was, I'd be glaring daggers at him, instead I stared straight ahead.

"Do you want help? I don't mind." Ed said kindly. He took his glove off and took my hand this time.

"No!" I said. "I don't want your damn help. Let me go." I ripped my hand from his and stomped up the steps and slammed the door. (Good thing he showed me where everything was earlier.) I went to the bathroom and closed the door before I slid down the wall and burst into tears. (I didn't ask for this. Why did I have to be fucking blind?) I barely noticed when I cried myself to sleep.

Hours later I felt myself being lifted up and carried out the door. I slightly opened up my eyes so see Ed carrying me to the car. (I don't care, just take me home. I wanna go home.) I buried my face in his shoulder as I felt more tears coming. (Damn headache…. He smells nice…. Zzz….)

~(Ed's POV)~

I carefully set her in the car and climbed in as well. I took her hand as was customary between us. I felt her breathing even as rolled towards Mustang's place where we were staying. Now that Azmaria was traveling with us, Roy said we could stay at his place when we needed to.

Suddenly, I couldn't see the car anymore, I saw myself looking outside a playground. I want to go so badly. The sun was so warm. So…. Black. I couldn't see…. I watched the scene play out and Azmaria's voice echoed in my head (_"I can't play with them? I can't play with anyone…."_)The car returned to my vision and I stared at Azmaria.

"She-She can broadcast her thoughts as well?" I stammered.

"What are you talking about, brother?" Al said looking at me from the front seat.

"Nothing, Al. Nothing." I said just before we pulled up to Azmaria's apartment. "You mind carrying Azmaria? I gotta ask the Colonel something." I opened the door and crawled out.

"Sure, Ed." He climbed out and took Azmaria into his arms and we started up the steps, me going a little faster than usual.

"I'll pick you guys up tomorrow at 0800, ok?" Havoc called from the car before driving off.

I walked into the Colonel's home office alone and shut the door quietly. "She can show her thoughts too?"

His pen froze and spoke without looking up. "What did you see?"

"A playground. Some bitch told her she couldn't have any friends." I crossed my arms. (He think I see something else?)

Mustang sighed. "Dad kept her in public school. Stupid idea. She didn't learn anything. They didn't know how to teach her. They just kept her inside and isolated her. They never even cared that my father abused her." The pen snapped and ink splattered his sleeve and the desk. "Dammit."

I cleaned it up with alchemy and repaired the pen. "Idiot. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was hoping you'd never know. It happens when she's asleep, mostly. She never showed me anything willingly although she knows how. It's… The only way I know what dad did to her. I had my suspicions, but she wouldn't tell me. I still don't think she ever told me everything. If he wasn't already dead when I got there, I'd have killed him myself. Most of those scars never healed." He sighed sadly.

I walked out without another word and walked to Azmaria's room. I put my hand on the knob and barely felt the dents in the door that told Azmaria where her own room was. (I guess we have another person to add to the list of people that need fixing with the Philosopher's Stone when we find it.)

I opened the door and strolled to her bed and pulled up a chair. She was sleeping calmly. I touched her cheek. (Warm.) My mind was filled with the fuzzy faces of her mother and father and…. The Colonel?

~(Azmaria's POV)~

_(Flashback)_

I looked at the fuzzy face of my brother. "Come on, read to me some more!" He only had a few more days before he was going off to the Ishval Civil War that my parents kept talking about.

"But I've read it five times already!" A musical laugh rang though the living room and caused me to smile.

"You, two dinner's ready!" My mother called from the kitchen. "Roy, bring Azmaria in the kicten, will you? I don't want her to trip."

"Overprotective, isn't she?" Roy whispered in my ear and ruffled my hair. "Don't worry, once the war's over, I'll come get you."

I gasped quietly, "Really?" I'd always wanted to go with Roy, my parents never left me alone to do anything even though I could navigate through the house. "Awesome!"

_(End Flashback)_

(Ed's POV)

How could such a tiny little girl have so much power? To see into everyone else's thoughts and show them her own without ever saying a word? (Wait…. I'm a…. DAMMIT!) I slammed the door to mine and Al's room as I realized I had also just made fun of myself and went to sleep. We had more research to do tomorrow.


End file.
